Soldier for a Soulmate
by zorca179
Summary: Rhodey hated his soulmark's simplicity, Toni hated what her's meant, neither imagined the circumstances that would bring them together. Rhodey and Toni meet in Afghanistan. Soul Mate AU One-shot, Soul Mark AU, fem!Tony, rated T for language.


Colonel James Rhodes had a common soulmark. He wished he could have an interesting one in place of his "Hey". One word. Not even a punctuation mark. The one thing he liked about his soulmark was the handwriting. The messy, almost illegible scrawl on his right shoulder was very distinctive, unlike the words paired with them. However, he appreciated the fact his words weren't indicative of a bad situation. In the military, he'd met a lot of men who's soulmark caused them to join the fight, like Harry's "Help me", or Pat's "I'm glad I got to meet you", or even worse, Will's "It's too late. Thanks for trying".

The common nature of his soulmark didn't keep him from hoping every time he heard them. He used to hold his breath to see if there was a reaction after hearing his word, but there never was. He'd obsess and look for a handwriting sample online to match the one on his bicep, but he never found one.

Eventually, it became a normalcy. His heart would still skip a beat and he'd be extra attentive towards their body cues, but he didn't hold his breath or obsess anymore. 'Hey' was just a word again. Because of this, he didn't even notice when the words were said.

Toni Stark had an odd soulmark. "How was the fun-vee?" wasn't a common phrase, she was lucky in that regard; however, it also was likely to be said in a war-zone or on a military base, and she did not want to be a military wife. Toni couldn't handle the worry, the paranoia, the fear. She wanted to be free to live her life, to be carefree, to not have a life filled with worry and fear and waiting to see if her soulmate would walk back into her arms or be carried in a pine box. She didn't want a soldier for a soulmate.

Toni couldn't lose someone else. She already lost both of her parents in one day. She'd fought with her father as he was leaving and then the news station was showcasing their bodies on national television.

Toni was no stranger to death and loss, but that didn't mean she went looking for it or wanted any more. Right after her parents died, Toni was lost and couldn't handle all of her emotions and feelings. So, she went to a support group for military spouses and soulmates. She put on a wig, wore baggy clothes, and distorted her facial features with makeup - no one even knew if Toni Stark had a soulmark and she preferred it that way. There was less of a chance of others using it to their advantage. Using him to their advantage.

I guess that was what it all boiled down to, Toni was scared for her soulmate. Toni has been kidnapped many, many times practically since birth, what would happen to her soulmate? Add to that the fact he is in the military, probably fighting people that hate Americans in general, add to that the fact he is a soldier, add to that the fact she is America's top weapons designer, it'a a recipe bound for disaster.

That's why Toni always wore some form of gloves, to cover the soulmark so easily seen. Most thought it was just another of her eccentricities. When asked, she always gave new answers, most boiling down to "protecting the money makers". Only Toni and Obidiah knew the truth, him seeing her since she was a baby. The hand is often seen, it's the first -and only- thing most people touch when they meet her, so she hides it. She doesn't want to find her soulmate, and she doesn't want anyone else to find him.

The first meeting was fairly casual, Toni was getting off of a plane in Afghanistan to demonstrate her new missile technology, and greeted the man at the bottom of the stairs. Neither of them would realize the significance of the meeting until much later, months later in fact.

"Hey," Toni said to the airman as she exited the jet. She continued down the line, greeting the officials present for the demonstration in a place Toni had never wanted to visit. Not only was she against going into war-zones because of the violence and probable injuries to come along with it, but there is an increased chance of meeting him in a place full of military men who literally ride in Hum-vees!

Rhodes just nodded in response, professional as his job required - despite the rather unprofessional talk that had been circling around the base as soon as it was announced that the Toni Stark would be visiting. Those not entranced by her genius and design of the weapons they carried, admired her for her physique. Rhodes himself, couldn't care much less about Toni Stark beyond the weapons she manufactures.

The weapons demonstration was impressive, Rhodes almost couldn't believe the force of the monstrous Jericho missile. Toni Stark was a true genius.

After a quick drink opportunity (for the higher-ups, not the soldiers), they all piled into the hum-vees. Toni was signing a couple autographs and happened to write a note to a friend of James's saying "Hay is for horses..." after he had shouted "Hey, Ms. Stark!" to get her attention. Rhodes saw the distinctive handwriting and went after her, eager to find the elusive soulmate. Unfortunately, she dismissed him before he could get a word out with "I'm sorry, this is the 'fun-vee'. The 'hum-drum-vee' is back there".

Rhodes didn't know what to do, he'd never interacted with anyone like her before (not that there is anyone like her), so he just went to the indicated hum-vee, figuring he could talk to her when they dropped her off.

Then, the hum-vee exploded. Immediately, Toni, who'd been joking with the soldiers in the 'fun-vee', flinched low in her seat, covering her head. Her hearing going in and out, she vaguely saw her fellow occupants shot down, one by one. When it was only her and Forest, the youngest soldier, practically a boy, and he was getting ready to leave, go into certain death. She saw he was saying something to her, but only caught bits and pieces, crying out for him to give her a gun, something, anything to defend herself with.

After he was killed, she ran out, leaving the not-so-fun-vee that could explode any minute without her hearing it coming, and ran behind a rock to call for help. She felt the impact of something heavy crashing next to her and looked to her right with dread filling her. Her heart sank at the familiar shape and lettering. Toni frantically scrambled up, turning to the left to run away, but not making it. She flew back and blacked out after pulling open her shirt, observing the bloodstains on the bullet-proof vest.

James exited the hum-vee just in time to see his soulmate run out of her's, toward a rock far from the help he and his fellow soldiers could provide. He moved toward her as quickly as possible with his unit, trying to hold back the insurgents while dodging their bullets. He heard a missile and screamed when he saw the explosion near HIS soulmate. He tried to run to her, firefight be damned, but was held back by his partner who'd asked for the autograph. He struggled frantically until he felt more hands on him, realizing he was taking more people out of the fight. He had just restarted the shooting and steady, slow movement toward Stark when he noticed insurgents dragging her away. Immediately he broke free of his troop, desperately trying to catch her and get her away from the people taking her away.

He was making good progress until he got pinned behind the very rock his soulmate had been hiding behind. He fired back, trying to get free so he could save her, but ended up watching with a heavy heart as she was loaded into a vehicle and carted off to who-knows-where. He slumped against the rock, ceasing firing. He no longer cared what happened to him, she was going to be killed and he wasn't able to save her from her fate. Even if they got her back, she would not come out of this whole, no way the savages who'd attacked the convoy would kidnap her only to treat her like a princess. No. Rhodes was only sure of one thing: she would not be okay if she came out of this alive, and if she didn't, he wouldn't be okay.

Colonel James Rhodes was made head of the task force dedicated to finding Toni Stark after revealing that he is her soulmate. For three months, Rhodey barely ate or slept, desperately searching for his soulmate. He could imagine what they were doing to her, and none of the possibilities were pleasant.

The only reassurance he had -thin as it was- was that his soulmark never faded. Not even a shade. He knew she was alive, he just didn't know if that was a good thing.

Toni knew she was screwed. She should've thought of the long, long walk in the desert before she blasted off to the middle of the fucking desert with nothing around for miles. Now, she had to walk back to civilization, hoping she ran into American military and not the people she just escaped.

Toni knew she was dying. Her breaths were ragged, her skin was soaked with sweat, her limbs were bone-tired, and her paced was slowing. She was drifting back and forth from one side to the other as she continued her uneven lumbering gait.

As she approached another sand dune, she decided: this was the last one. She would make it to the top of this dune and then she would find a bearable spot to lie down and sleep. She chanted to herself as she painstakingly made her way up the hill, "Last one. Last one. Last one..."

Then, she heard a sound she never thought she'd hear again: helicopter blades. She immediately picked up the pace, trying to get to higher ground where she'd be seen, all the while shouting for the people's attention.

When she saw the helicopter start to land close to her, she collapsed. She was safe. She made it. She got out. She got herself out.

A man ran to her and dropped to his knees beside her. He reached a hand out like he couldn't believe it was really her. "How was the fun-vee?" made her laugh until she realized what it meant. Her head shot up to see him nod. It was real. He clutched her in a tight, reassuring hug they both needed and then gently helped her board the helicopter and strap in next to himself.

Damn was she glad she got a soldier for a soulmate.


End file.
